Fact Sheet for Lake St Clair

Introduction:

Lake St Clair is a long, narrow natural lake with crystal clear waters that reach a maximum depth of 174m, making it one of Australia’s deepest lakes. Whilst it is better known for being a start or finishing point for the Overland Track, it does hold interest to anglers. At the south-eastern end of the main lake is St Clair Lagoon that is separated from the lake by a small dam. The lagoon is a shallow weedy storage that has a weir and control gate to regulate its outflow.

Fishing Information:

Fishing for both brown and rainbow trout is popular in the southern end of the lake. Spinning and trolling account for reasonable catches particularly during rough or overcast days. The clear water gives fly fishers the opportunity to polaroid fish around the lake margins. Good hatches of mayfly occur in the summer months providing good dry fly fishing. The best fly fishing however, occurs at St Clair Lagoon with all facets of the sport available at different times, depending on the time in the season and water levels.

Region:

Central

Other Fish:

The climbing galaxias (Galaxias brevipinnis) and the spotted galaxias (G. truttaceus) are found in the catchment and are probably present in low numbers at Lake Burbury.

Fishing Tips:

Facilities:

There is a formal boat ramp at Cynthia Bay which is really the only practical spot to launch a boat. There are full camping amenemties at Cynthia Bay and some informal camping spoys at the northern end of the lake at Narcissus. Huts can be found at Narcissus and Echo point, often these are occupies by bushwalkers.

Regulations and Species